


Together

by queen_scribbles



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 18:58:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14625014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: So, this started as a prompt fill for captainofthefallen on tumblr, Taviloth “I won’t leave you alone”, and then I realized that what I was planning also works with other prompts I’ve had sitting in my inbox for ages. So it would up also being “a promise” for serenbach86(tumblr) and a meme prompt fill for rannadylin too Set in the Leaden Key Hunt AU





	Together

**Author's Note:**

> So, this started as a prompt fill for captainofthefallen on tumblr, Taviloth “I won’t leave you alone”, and then I realized that what I was planning also works with other prompts I’ve had sitting in my inbox for ages. So it would up also being “a promise” for serenbach86(tumblr) and a meme prompt fill for rannadylin too Set in the Leaden Key Hunt AU

 

There was something about the rhythm of running feet that Tavi found comforting. Maybe because the blood pounding in her ears made her feel _alive_ , maybe because of the wind in her hair.  Or maybe because this time _she_ was the one doing the chasing. And she wasn’t alone. When she’d insisted on helping Aloth chase down the Leaden Key, she hadn’t meant it quite this literally, but they were _together,_ so she wasn’t gonna complain too much.

And the Deadfire Archipelago provided _plenty_ of opportunities for a change of scenery. Case in point, last week they’d been tracking a lead through the fucking desert, two days ago she’d taken on a tavern full of pirates in one of the more epic barroom brawls she’d instigated in this lifetime, and now she and Aloth were chasing a shifty Leaden Key type through the jungle and up the stairs of an abandoned temple.

At least, it looked abandoned from outside. But there were torches already burning when they charged through the entrance and made a hard right to keep following the man they were after. And a couple of the rooms they passed looked occupied in the brief glimpse she got as they hurtled past-

“Tavi!” Aloth grabbed her arm and yanked her forward, stumbling a little at the added momentum, just in time to avoid the spiked gate that plummeted down from the ceiling.

“Thanks, city slicker,” she panted, glancing at him before returning her gaze to their quarry.

“I saw him hit a wall switch; this is why it’s good to not get” --he paused as they both dropped and rolled to avoid another gate-- “distracted.”

Tavi saved her breath for running and just rolled her eyes as they scrambled up a staircase, closing some of the distance they’d lost with that last gate. He had a point; if she’d been alone, she’d have been skewered. But she didn’t have time to dwell on that right now, they had to focus on their quarry, who put on a burst of speed as he rounded a corner.

_Almost, almost, almost,_ circled in Tavi’s mind as they followed close after him. They could catch him, she knew it. _He’s our only lead, we better catch him._ The corner led to a long passageway that allowed the Leaden Key operative to pull ahead. Determined not to lose him, Tavi put on extra speed.

And then, abruptly, at the end of the hall, the man stopped, spun around, and _grinned_ as he slapped one hand against the wall. The stone shifted under his touch, and a section of the floor dropped away right at Tavi’s feet.

“Oh, shit-!” The invective wasn’t even all the way out before she was falling. She’d been far too close to even have a prayer of stopping, her feet skidding off the edge even as her arms flailed for balance. She heard Aloth’s cry of alarm, felt his hand grasp hers, but rather than stop with the jolt of a near-miss as he caught her weight, there was the barest hitch in her momentum before they were _both_ falling. 

It wasn’t as bad as it could have been--somewhere between eight and ten feet she’d guess--but it was bad enough. Tavi yelped and swore when she landed shoulder-first hard enough to bruise. Something had sliced a thin, stinging trail across her calf--that would teach her to wear low boot--and perhaps worst of all, she heard Aloth cry out in pain even louder than she had.

Her own injuries forgotten, Tavi pushed to her feet and whirled around. _Alright, maybe it is as bad as it could have been. Or, well, pretty damn close._

The pit had spikes. Not many, and several were broken off low enough they couldn’t do as much damage. And while neither of them had actually been impaled, Aloth had apparently come a blazing lot closer than she did. A large crimson stain had already started spreading across his shirt even as he pushed off the ground and immediately pressed one hand against the injury.

_Oh, fuck, oh shit oh fuckfuck **fuck**_ **.**  “Aloth?!” Tavi only half-registered the pain in her leg and the alarm in her voice as she dropped back down next to him.

“I’ve... had worse,” he managed through gritted teeth, but he was already pale, and the hand pressed to his side was slick with blood. “I’ll be fine. You could-- _nngh_ \--catch him if you hurry-”

Tavi laughed incredulously. Even the echo of their quarry’s footsteps was starting to fade. “Aloth, even if I could get out fast enough to have a fuckin’ prayer of catching him, I won’t leave you alone!” she shot back. “Not here, not _hurt_.”

Aloth pushed himself more upright, sitting back against the wall to catch his breath. “This is more important than just _me_ , Tavi,” he insisted. “You _have_ to catch him, he’s our only lead, we lose him we have to start from scratch!”

“Then we start from fuckin’ scratch!” Tavi snapped, framing his face with her hands to make him look at her. “No lead is worth _**you**_ to me. Fuck him, and fuck the Leaden Key. I’m stayin’ right here and gettin’ you out of here alive.” she kissed his forehead, trying not to think about how clammy his skin felt. “You just calm down an’ focus on stayin’ awake, huh?”

He grunted assent, biting his lip, and Tavi turned her attention to his side. Ugly as it was, he was right; he’d had worse. And some of the blood on his hand proved to be from a smaller cut up the back of his wrist that she hadn’t noticed in her initial panic. But the gash torn across his ribs hadn’t broken any or punctured too deep, it was just a long, nasty cut. She’d sewn up the same thing on herself a dozen times or more. With the proper supplies, it was child’s play to fix. Only problem was she didn’t have any of the proper supplies with her now. She’d have to get Aloth back to their room at the Wave’s Reach to patch him up properly.

“Hey, city slicker.” He didn’t answer, so she nudged him with her elbow. “ _Aloth_. Stay awake, love.”

“Still awake,” he mumbled, blinking sluggishly. Not a great sign.

“I can stitch this up just fine once we get back to... our place,” Tavi substituted in case anyone was listening. “But first I’m gonna bandage it best I can so the bleedin’ll stop.” She hesitated. “It’s prob’ly gonna hurt.”

Aloth nodded, lips pressing briefly into a thin line. “Understood.” She bit her lip in thought for a moment, then borrowed the small knife from his belt and started to roughly cut off the sleeves of her shirt. “ _Tavi!_ ” Aloth croaked in protest.

“We don’t have anything else to use as bandages,” she countered, following it with a wink. “You know I think sleeves are bullshit anyway.”

He laughed, which turned into a cough, and then a hiss of pain.

“Hey, hey, stay with me,” Tavi said, hating the wobble in her voice as her fingers instinctively dug into his shirt. _If I’d just been a little slower, maybe I would’ve seen the fuckin’ trap in time to stop...._

“I am,” Aloth promised, reaching over with one hand to briefly squeeze hers. His fingers left bloody streaks across her skin when he pulled back. He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at her as she worked on unrolling the sleeves so she could actually use them. “Tavi.”

“Mm?” She looked up.

“Promise... promise me something.”

Tavi held up one finger, her pulse thundering in a surge of panic. “None of that, Corfiser.”

“Of course not,” Aloth rolled his eyes, winced as he shifted wrong. “I’m in perfectly good hands. Promise me you won’t feel guilty for... this.”

“Hylea’s feathered fuckin’ tits you know me too well,” she huffed. _Like he read my fuckin’ mind._

“Promise.”

“I promise.” It was easier said than done, but she could _try_.

The sleeves proved to not be enough, so Tavi sacrificed the rest of her shirt as well. Aloth protested again, and she shut him up with a kiss. Her breastband was wide enough to count as a shirt by local standards, and even if it _wasn’t_ , his life meant more to her than her modesty. Once she had both his side and the smaller cut on his hand bound up so they wouldn’t bleed, Tavi started looking for a way out of the pit.

It took some creative problem solving, but she was able to get both of them out of the pit without hurting Aloth too much in the process. And then even more creativity and patience to find another way out of the temple, as their route _in_ was still blocked by the dropped gates. There was no sign of the man they’d been chasing, or anyone else for that matter, the whole time they were looking. Finally, though, as Aloth stumbled and Tavi tightened her grip on his arm around her shoulders to keep him on his feet, they found a door.

“C’mon, city slicker,” she encouraged as she hauled open the door. “Just a flight of stairs and a couple miles of jungle and we’re home free.”

“Is that all?” Aloth muttered with a tight smile.

“I can carry you if you want,” Tavi offered wryly, biting back a smile. With the immediate danger past and him still displaying a sense of humor, she was willing to lighten up a little. “Bridal style, piggyback, sling you over my shoulders like a sack of grain...”

“I think I can manage as we are,” he said, briefly pressing his free hand to the bandaged wound. And  he did--down the stairs and the first ten feet into the jungle. The uneven ground proved too great a challenge and Tavi did wind up carrying him, at least until they reach the road near town, where he insisted it was smooth enough he could manage. Her injured leg was burning with fatigue, so Tavi didn’t protest much. They drew plenty of looks, between her “attire” and the bloody state of them both.

“If the Key looks for us, it won’t be hard to find us after this,” she murmured, helping him up the stairs toward their room.

“Oh, well. We can move,” Aloth pointed out. “That’s why we stick to renting rooms.”

“Speaking of rooms...” Tavi fumbling in a belt pouch for her key as they reached their door. “On the bed, Master Corfiser, I need to stitch you up.”

“As you wish.” Aloth gingerly shuffled toward the bed as Tavi gathered what she’d need; catgut thread, needle, washbasin, bandages. By the time she had everything, he’d untied the makeshift bandages around his chest and worked off his shirt.

With one final admonition for him to hold still--he was still pale and it had bled a lot--Tavi got to work. Aloth obeyed for the most part(he shifted to tuck his hand behind his head so she’d have better access), and silently watched her work.

It was a familiar routine, one Tavi could--and on occasion _did_ \--do half asleep, but today there was enough adrenaline that wouldn’t be a problem.

“You’re very good at this,” Aloth commented admiringly as he watched her secure fast, sturdy stitches, only wincing slightly as they tugged his flesh.

“Shit, thanks,” Tavi laughed, pausing briefly to spread her arms, as if exhibiting the scars that marked her stomach and chest. “I have a lot of practice.”

“...All of them?” he asked after a beat, and she obliged the hinting for a distraction. Stitches were never pleasant.

“No, not all.” She pressed one hand to the top of her worst one, the dark line running from her clavicle almost to her navel. “But most. That’s what happens when you’re on the run for thirty years and don’t know who to trust, city slicker; you get real good at patchin’ yourself up.”

“I suppose you do,” he nodded thoughtfully, biting his lip.

There was another moment’s silence before she spoke. “Sorry we lost our man.”

Aloth shook his head, “No, don’t be. It was an irrational thing for me to ask, and I’m glad you were too stubborn to listen.”

“That’s me, too stubborn to listen,” Tavi laughed. She paused her work again, just long enough to lean forward and kiss him on the cheek. “You’re worth way fuckin’ more to me than one stupid lead on the Leaden Key. Even if that one stupid lead _was_ several months’ work to find. I mean, I can go check that temple for anything, see if they were usin’ it. He seemed way too familiar with it for his choice to be coincidence.”

Aloth cleared his throat. “Don’t you mean _we_ can check the temple?”

“No, I mean _**I**_ ,” she cheerfully, tying off the last stitch. “ _You_ are stayin’ in bed for the next two or three days so you don’t rip your fuckin’ stitches.”

“That never seems to be a concern for you,” he pointed out, reaching to brush his fingers over the trio of scars that marked _her_ ribs.

“I’m an impatient idiot,” Tavi joked as she reached for bandages. “Who’s ripped a lot of stitches. Take my word for it; just stay in bed.”

Aloth leaned forward so she could bandage the wound. “How do I disobey such sage advice?”

She rolled her eyes at his fondly teasing tone. “You don’t.” She finished winding the bandages around his middle and leaned in for a proper kiss her hand cupping his jaw. “Now let me see your hand.”

He obliged, and she cleaned it off to examine. That cut wasn’t bad enough to require stitches, so she just bandaged it again, kissing his knuckles before she let go.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” she whispered, thumb running over the bandages. _Sorry you got hurt in the first place._

“You promised you weren’t going to feel guilty,” he whispered back, capturing her hand in his.

“I’m not!” Tavi protested, gaze on the bandages, thoughts on how much worse this could have ended.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Aloth informed her, tipping her chin up with his free hand so she’d meet his eyes.

“If memory serves, you aren’t much better, Corfiser,” she snarked, smile tugging her lips.

“No. No, I’m not,” he agreed, and pulled her into a kiss.

 It was the final proof she needed that everything was truly alright, and she felt the last traces fear ease as she kissed him back. When they parted, she stood, cleaned herself up, and pulled on a clean shirt. She tossed Aloth one as well before climbing in bed next to him. Two pairs of boots hit the floor as they settled in for the night. If they had to start from scratch, might as well do it rested, Tavi reflected. She curled up with her head on Aloth’s chest and one arm draped across his stomach(her usual position) and drifted off only slightly faster than he did, the comfortable weight of his arm around her shoulders a constant reassurance that they were still _together._


End file.
